


The Casey-Met-Them-Early Dream-Based AU

by The_Mouse_of_Anon



Series: My TMNT AUs [2]
Category: Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles - All Media Types
Genre: Headcanon, M/M, TMNT AU, dream-based AU, reality set-up that will eventually have fics
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-08-24
Updated: 2019-08-24
Packaged: 2020-09-25 01:34:50
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 2,763
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20368456
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/The_Mouse_of_Anon/pseuds/The_Mouse_of_Anon
Summary: The beginning structure for my Casey-met-them-early AU. Mostly headcanons of Casey's random excuses and some of the resulting interactions.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> This is the first of my various AUs copied and pasted from tumblr (all of which I plan on posting and building on), but consider this a sneak peek at what I have in mind for this reality. With this one Casey met the turtles when he was 11 and they were 8, though the point with the science book happens around when Casey is 17 (about when his crush on Donnie is just starting to kick in). 
> 
> Yes I'm posting these 'reality' outlines separately so when I _do_ get fics posted I can more easily link them. And, as implied by the title, this particular AU came to me thanks to a dream I had before I woke up on December 26, 2018.
> 
> Though an additional note: I'm completely willing to answer questions on any of my AUs. So if there are things you want to know more about, leave a comment and have fun seeing the incredibly nerdy result your comments may kick off. (It also helps me shape these AUs more.)
> 
> With that said, enjoy.

# Buckle up, because I’m throwing a TMNT AU out into the universe.

Okay, so to explain, I kind of had a TMNT dream before I woke up that bled over into me mulling over an AU in my head as I was waking up.

Basically as a kid, Casey would sometimes watch out his window into the alley at night, and eventually he caught sight of Splinter and the turtles coming up to scrounge around. The first time he brushed it off as a dream afterward, but when he kept seeing them regularly at night he took to putting stuff out there before nightfall that he thought might be useful, and he made it a habit when necessary to try to distract people from going near that alley while they were in it.

(I know he was going to keep that up for a while before he eventually met them face-to-face, and I know that there was going to be Casey falling for Donnie as they got older– because yay Jonatello, but it didn’t get much further in my head than Casey’s habit of watching out for them and sneaking them supplies without them knowing he was the one doing it at first.)

Now here’s where things get really fun–

## Just imagine some of the excuses he’d come up with to throw people off:

  * “Casey, where are you going?”  
“Uh… Just, uh, to take out the trash! Right! Kind of meant to do it earlier, but I forgot and-”  
“Casey, it’s _nine at night_ and it’s dark out. It can wait until tomorrow.”  
Casey glances at the garbage bag he has in hand, looks back up. “…I’m kind of already on my way there? It’ll only take a few seconds! I’ll make it quick!” Bolts out the door (there are already fresh bags in the trash cans when he gets inside, but he’s hoping no one’s noticed).
  * “Why are you running for the back door?”  
“I dropped my hockey mask out the window on accident and I don’t want to lose it.”
  * “I’ll be back in in a minute Ca-”  
“No!”  
“Casey?”  
“Uh… I… You don’t want to go out there.”  
“…And _why_ wouldn’t I want to go out there?”  
“I accidentally spilled water on the steps earlier and they iced over. Like _really_ badly.”  
“I’ll be careful Casey.”  
“No, seriously, it’s like… _nasty_ black ice. You could slip and seriously hurt yourself. I’ll throw some de-icer down in the morning, but until then why don’t you just go out the front?”  
”_Casey._“  
”…Please? I’d feel bad if you got hurt. It’d kind of be my fault.“  
”…Casey… What’s this about? Really?“  
"Nothing.”  
“Arnold Casey Jones.”  
“…I’m having a hard time with my homework and I wanna spend time with you?”
  * “Wait! You don’t wanna go out the back door!”  
Casey’s aunt– “And why not?”  
“…Raccoons. Nasty ones. Pretty sure they have rabies.”
  * There’s a crash in the alley–  
Casey’s aunt– “What in the world was _that_?”  
“Oh, probably nothing.”  
“Casey, that was not ‘nothing’.”  
“Well what I mean is that it might be one of the stray cats in the area.”  
“…Didn’t you say there were raccoons out there last week?”  
“Well _yeah_. Cats _and_ raccoons. They might be fighting over territory. Y’know. ‘Cause of the food out there?”  
“…Have you been _feeding_ raccoons?”  
“…No. That is _not_ a thing I have been doing. At all.”  
One of Casey’s parents– “_Arnold Casey Jones_.”  
“So there’s a stray dog that’s a little skittish! I can’t let the poor thing starve!”
  * “…Casey, why do you have a bag of coats on your bed?”  
“…Class project.”  
“I see. And the boots and snow pants?”  
“…I’m making a bunch of clothing mannequins and stuffing them so I can put ‘em in this maze-thing the school’s setting up. It’s gonna be awesome and I’m trying to make ‘em as creepy as possible.”  
“…And where did you get them from?”  
“A bunch of people in my class are loaning them to me. They’ll all go back where they belong when it’s done.”
  * “Why do you have a bag of duct tape?”  
“Why _wouldn’t_ I have a bag of duct tape?”  
“Casey…”  
“It’s like… the universal emergency tool.”  
“_Casey._”  
“Have you _seen_ that episode of Mythbusters? They made an actual _boat_ out of duct tape. _And it worked!_ That’s _completely_ worth having a lot of duct tape.”  
“…Where did you even _get_ that much duct tape?”  
“From the general store.”  
“_Why? How?_”  
“Why not? And as for how, allowance money.”  
Silence.  
“What _else_ am I going to spend it on if I can’t make duct tape armor?”  
Facepalm. “Child… _**why**_?”
  * “Is that a heat lamp?”  
“Yeah.”  
“…Why do you have a heat lamp?”  
“A friend of mine has some turtles and her lamp is starting to die, so I wanted to surprise her with a new one, especially since she’s been having a lousy time.”  
“…Casey, those cost a lot of money.”  
“I know. I got it from a pet shop. I saved up.”  
“Okay. Ooookay. I’m just not going to argue at this point.”
  * After his first encounter with Splinter and the turtles and he slipped and hurt himself–  
“Casey, what happened?! Where’d that cut come from?!”  
“I tripped down the alley stairs face-first into a trash can.”  
“…What.”  
“I got startled!”  
“By _what?!_”  
“A raccoon.”  
“…Raccoons again?”  
“Yup.”  
“Casey, there aren’t any raccoons back there.”  
“Hey, I’m sorry if they get spooked and are hiding when you’re out there, but I’ve seen them out there plenty of times. It’s just weird timing I guess.”  
“Let’s just get you cleaned up… and see about getting you tetanus shots.”
  * “Why do you have a cat brush?”  
“Present for a friend of mine.”  
“…Who has cats.”  
“Yeah.”  
“You can’t keep getting your friends pet supplies. That’s their responsibility.”  
“I thought I could spend my allowance how I want, just so long as I’m not hurting anyone or getting into stuff I’m not supposed to.”  
“_Arnold **Casey JONES.**_”
  * After an instance of roughhousing with Raph and ending up bruised–  
“Casey, where did those bruises come from?”  
“I was off at a friend’s.”  
“…_Where_ did _those bruises_ come from?”  
“…It’s kind of embarrassing.”  
“_Casey_.”  
“You know my friend with the turtles? One of ‘em was really bite-y.”  
“…One of the _turtles_ was ‘bite-y’?”  
“Yeah. He’s a mean little thing. Likes biting me in particular for some reason. Kept going after me until my friend put him in the tank for a time-out.”  
“But how did you get bruises _on your shoulder_?”  
“Oh that! …I was laying on the floor.”
  * “…_Why_ do you have a silk robe?”  
“Pffft. What kind of question is that? ‘Why do I have a silk robe?’ It’s not a _robe_, jeez.”  
“Casey, answer the question.”  
“It’s more like a yukata or whatever they’re called in Japanese.”  
“_Casey_.”  
“…I got dragged into being an extra for my school’s play. It’s what I have to wear.”  
“It looks a little big for you.”  
“_Right_? That’s what I said, but I think they’re planning on making me stand on a stool or on stilts or something.”
  * “…Why do you have so many boxes of tea?”  
“I heard tea was good for you, so I wanted to stock up. Y’know. Being healthy and all that.”  
“Casey, that doesn’t even make sense. You never worry about your health that much.”  
“…I’m trying out for hockey.”
  * “Why do you keep on doodling turtles?”  
“I dunno. I think they’re kind of cool.”  
“…Even though you keep getting bit?”  
“Hey, that little attack turtle may be a jerk, but he is _so metal_. That little guy isn’t scared of _anything_. It’s the coolest thing _ever_.”  
“…And yet you still keep getting bit.”  
“Can’t make friends with an attack turtle in a day.”
  * “Who’s Donnie?”  
“…Why?”  
“This science book you have. On the front page you wrote ‘For Donnie’ with a heart next to it.”  
Casey glares. “I have no idea what you’re talking about. There’s a little thing called _privacy_.”  
“Is she cute?”  
“Oh my _god, STOP_.”  
“And why would you give her a science book?”  
“_Reasons_. Just STOOOOOOP.”
  * “Did you get bit _again_?”  
“Yup.”  
“You need to stop laying on the floor when that turtle is out of its tank.”  
“But I can’t encourage the little guy to not see me as a threat if I won’t have anything to do with him!”  
“…Find a different method.”
  * “Casey, do you know where our bottle of aspirin went?”  
“No idea. It’s not in the medicine cabinet?”  
“No.”  
“Huh. Weird.”
  * “Is that a wagon?”  
“…Maybe.”  
“Why do you have a wagon in your room?”  
“…Reasons.”  
“What _kind_ of ‘reasons’?”  
“Duct tape reasons.”  
“_Again_ with the duct tape?!”  
“I want to stock up!”  
“Where are you even putting it all?! What are you using it on?!”  
“…Repairing hockey gear. And making a new bag for all my hockey stuff. I’ve messed it up a few times, so I want to be prepared.”  
“…That is not even how that works.”

rofl I can easily keep going, but this is already getting ridiculously long.


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Part 2. Also written and posted on tumblr December 26, 2018.

# Have some more of my dream-based AU

Since my friend Tam requested more of this AU (and because I’m having fun with it) here’s some more.

## Things That Have Absolutely Happened Because of Casey Getting To Know The Turtles And Splinter Early On

  * When Casey finally stayed outside and talked with them for the first time, Splinter tried to argue that Casey needed to stop, that what he was doing wasn’t necessary, and that it could be dangerous. Casey insisted otherwise, and now that he knew _for a fact_ that Splinter was just trying to keep his kids fed and warm that he’d try to track them down if they stopped showing up. (Because of course he would worry.)
  * At least one instance of him being outside talking quietly with them only for them to hear the door opening, prompting Splinter and the boys to immediately hide.  
“Casey, what are you doing out here?”  
“Nothing. Just… thinking.”  
“You sure?”  
“Yeah. Just wanted some fresh air to clear my head.”  
“…Ooookay… Be sure to lock the door when you come in.”  
“I will. Promise.”  
(Raph of course had to make a comment when it was safe to along the lines of, “You? Clearing your head? Right.”)
  * Even in this reality Casey and Raph pick at each other. This has led to some interesting ‘fights’ over some incredibly random things. Highlights include:  
– Soda can target practice and which of them was better at it  
– Whether it hurts more to get hit by a hockey stick or a bo staff  
– Whether it’s better to be taller or shorter (At the time Casey was taller than Raph and the other turtles, but he specifically picked on Raph about his height. Raph may have kicked him in the shins at least once.)  
– Which of them is the biggest jerk (Which started an ‘argument’ of calling each other names, which Donnie very quickly co-opted because the two of them went alphabetical by complete accident on the first three. Donnie turned it into an actual game, which has gradually morphed into Casey and Donnie’s ‘thing’ because the two of them are able to keep it up the longest.)  
– Whether it’s better to be a ninja or not  
– ‘Popcorn tag’ (The two of them were forbidden from touching the microwave in the lair for a week after that incident. They may have gotten carried away.)  
– Which of them could make a puck fly farther (Yet again Donnie swooped in and out-classed them because they hadn’t even expected him to get involved. They especially didn’t expect him to rig up a large slingshot.)  
– Which of the two of them could carry Mikey around on their back longest (Mikey thought this was _hilarious_ and was more than happy to get involved, especially since he got to dictate where they were going as the trade-off for not being let down for as long as possible)  
– Which of them had better balance (Leo swooped in and won that one. Both Casey and Raph insist he ‘cheated’.)  
– Routine ‘brawls’, both to play around and as a way to work out frustration (Usually, in terms of play, started off by Casey throwing “Your mom” at Raph.)  
– Which of the two of them would be a better driver (Yes they started arguing about this as early as when the turtles were 9 and Casey was 12. Yes Splinter was concerned enough to forbid them from stealing a car. No, at the time Casey couldn’t even reach the pedals while also seeing over the dashboard at the same time.)
  * Casey staying the night.
  * Casey making excuses for where he was staying the night.
  * Swivel-chair jousting.
  * Casey having to make excuses both to his family _and_ Splinter and the turtles when he started up being a vigilante.
  * Casey getting caught by the turtles when he was out being a vigilante.
  * The turtles turning around and telling Splinter what Casey was up to.
  * Casey getting told off by Splinter for being a vigilante, and then being “forced” to join the turtles from then on for training so he’d have less of a chance of getting killed. (By that point Splinter knew him well enough that he knew if he told him to just stop, Casey would probably stop for a while and then start up again.)
  * Splinter having moments where he wishes he could just call Casey’s parent(s) to tell them to pick up or keep an eye on their trouble-seeking son.
  * The ‘Trampoline Olympics’ in the living room of the lair. (Mikey wins.)
  * Donnie trying to invent a bullet-proof hockey mask for Casey.
  * Raph trying to talk Donnie into making Casey a metal hockey-stick. (Splinter and Leo both veto that idea.)
  * Casey occasionally waltzing into the lair loudly announcing, “ALL PRAISE CASEY JONES, FOR I HAVE BROUGHT FOOD AND SUSTENANCE!”  
– The first time he did it and April was there, he startled her badly enough that she flipped over the back of the couch before popping up to stare at him like he was out of his mind.  
– “Who the heck’s the redhead?”  
– “Casey, meet April. April, this is Casey.”  
– “‘Kay, nice to meet you an’ all, but _Leo. Seriously. Why is she here?_”  
– “Why am _I_ here– why are _YOU_ here?”  
– “Uh… ‘Cause they’re my friends. Dude, Raph, _why is she here_?”  
– “…Ask Donnie.”  
– “_What._”  
(Yes Casey’s crush on Donnie has started to form by this point. No he hasn’t said anything outright, and he’s doing the thing of avoiding the subject because he worries about making things awkward. Unacknowledged jealousy alert.)
  * Casey randomly surprising them with presents, especially when it’s things he knows they need or just really really _really_ want.
  * Along with that, Casey occasionally doing supply runs and dragging a wagon piled high with stuff down there. (Yes there have been times where he had to have help carrying it down until he could set it down on its wheels.)
  * Casey getting Splinter a #1 Dad mug during the holidays and deliberately having the turtles all sign the tag before even letting him see it.
  * When Donnie made them phones, Casey personalizing his ringtones for each of them.  
– After Mikey clued in to the unacknowledged two-way crush between Casey and Donnie, he kept changing their ringtones for each other. Yes they’re usually sappy love songs. No Mikey isn’t sorry.  
– Mikey routinely getting pillows and cushions thrown at him for changing Donnie and Casey’s ringtones.  
– Leo actually throwing a pillow at Mikey because of Casey calling Donnie and the ringtone being “_I’m in/heaven when you kiss me~_”.
  * Casey having play ‘slap fights’ with Mikey that more often than not consist of the two of them flailing at the air at each other without actually connecting.
  * Casey occasionally ending up in three-way staring contests with Raph and Leo.
  * Casey having introduced the four of them to the fine art of over-dramatic play-deaths. (He managed to stretch one ‘death’ into a few minutes– flopping around from a chair, to the couch, to the floor, to a beanbag, back to the floor, and up and over the back of the couch included.)
  * After he started getting along with her (eventually), Casey co-opting April into helping him carry at least 15 pizzas down to the lair– initially by telling her it was an ‘emergency’ because he ‘needed’ to get ‘something’ down there and he didn’t want to risk dropping it. She was less than impressed.
  * Mikey and the Halloween with feather boas.


End file.
